Molded plastic garment hangers are widely used for the purpose of shipping and displaying garments. Garment hangers of that type may either be simply constructed as molded plastic structures incorporating a unitary or metal central hook adapted to be suspended from a suitable support, such as a garment rack or the like, or with a hanger body portion having arms extending in opposite directions from the base of the hook portion so as to facilitate a garment to be suspended therefrom. When needed for specific use, the opposite or distal ends of the body portion or arms may be members to enable the attachment of various kinds of garments thereto, such as underwear, slips, brassieres, swimwear, multiple garments, and the like.
A wide variety of such garment hangers are presently known. Typically, such garment hangers have a hook portion elevated above a horizontally-extending body portion, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,828,155; 3,463,369; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 246,817. In order to grasp a garment effectively, clips, grips, slots or hooks (collectively referred to herein as "clips") are placed at the ends of the body portion of the hanger. Such prior art hangers are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,079; 4,629,102; 4,892,237; 5,065,916; and 5,129,557.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,079 and 4,629,102 disclose a hanger having an elevated hook member, a hanger body having horizontally extending arms and, respectively, resilient grips and clips of a U-shaped configuration located at the end of each arm. The U-shaped configuration includes first and second members, which are connected to each other; the second member also being connected to the hanger body. The U-shaped garment engaging grip or clip has a double-flex mechanism to prevent breakage of the grip or clip when a garment is resiliently engaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,237 discloses a plastic garment hanger having a hook, a body bar extending longitudinally from said hook, said body bar terminating at each end in a pair of arms, one above and one below the body bar, which form garment receiving slots. A third arm creates a downwardly opening slot at the end of the body. The shape of the arms is such that the mouth or open end of the slot is narrower than the upper or inner end of each clip. Adjacent the blind end of the garment receiving slot, the slot is deepened to form a pocket which is recessed downwardly into the body. At the entrance of the pocket a tongue from the upper flange of the body bar is provided. The tongue divides the pocket. Additionally, a finger which extends upwardly and outwardly at an angle from the upper flange of the body bar is provided. The finger is spaced inwardly a short distance from the clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,916 discloses a plastic garment hanger having garment retaining clip ends formed with downwardly and outwardly included support elements from which upper and lower retaining elements extend in a "T" and are provided directly with the formations engaging the garments in respective channels. The channels are defined by surfaces having interdigitating arrays of teeth. The clip configuration is intended to overcome the deficiencies ordinarily associated with clips having flexible bent back fingers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,557 discloses a plastic garment hanger having a hook, a body bar extending longitudinally from the hook and wing portions terminating each end of the body bar. Each wing portion defines a first channel extending upwardly. The body bar defines a second channel in intersecting relation with the first channel. The second channel is inclined at an acute angle with respect to the first channel. Positioned along the first channel are a series of generally semi-circular projections which function to impede the movement of the garment, i.e., panty, intended to be suspended therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,109 discloses a plastic, multi-garment hanger which includes a slot extending upwardly from the edge of the body member between a vertically oriented clip and a horizontally oriented clip. The slot provides for the displacement of a portion of the vertically oriented clip and/or the horizontally oriented clip thereby reducing the level of stress concentrated at the upper, inward edge of vertical oriented clips and the connecting portion of the horizontally oriented clips of typical multi-clip hangers. However, while the slot is taught to provide additional flexibility, applicant notes that the portions of the vertically oriented and horizontally oriented clips of U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,109 are necessarily thinner in construction which weakens such clips and reduces their strength.
Each of the above-described prior art hangers (with the exception of the hanger provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,557) is provided with a clip arrangement for the retention of light-weight, two-piece garments, such as panties and brassieres. Each type of clip arrangement is provided with some level of flexibility necessary for the insertion of the garment in the clip.
The clip arrangement of the hanger disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,079 and 4,629,102, described above, has generally a U-shaped configuration, the flexible free end of which can be deflected in two directions.
The clip arrangement of the hanger disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,916, described above, has a T-shaped clip configuration to firmly engage garments. It will be appreciated that the channel of the vertical clip extends at its upper end into an inwardly extending lateral slot so that a bend is applied to the waistband which can be somewhat stretched to better secure the waistband.
The clip arrangement of the hanger disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,237, described above, is designed so that the flexible arms forming the garment receiving channels provide a clamping zone to prevent the inadvertent release of the garment retained therein.
However, a combination of different types of clothing are not easily positioned on or removed from these hangers. Since many of the clip arrangements of the prior art hangers are not constructed to flex numerous times without breaking and provide sufficient resistance to deflection at the time the garments are suspended therefrom and/or are removed. Additionally, these hangers do not effectively clamp a combination of different types of clothing especially garments which have very thin straps and thick waistbands.